Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei has blessed the America’s Cup ahead of the 37th iteration of the international sailing competition in Barcelona, Spain.
During the pōwhiri the phrase “Kotahi tatou, we are one” greeted the cup and representatives from Toyota New Zealand, Emirates Team New Zealand (ETNZ), and Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron (RNZYS) as they were welcomed into Ōrākei Marae Tuesday morning.
International competitive sailor Josh Wijohn (Te Rarawa, Tūhoe), wanted to highlight how valued the welcome and blessing were for all involved.
“Everyone involved in bringing Aotearoa to the world stage in Barcelona is filled with pride and purpose.
“From the team on the waka to the team on Taihoro, this is all about showing New Zealand at its best, and today’s blessing means we carry that goodwill with all of us on this journey,” he said.
In this year’s race, Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei will provide a waka escort for ETNZ and their AC75 ‘Taihoro’, ahead of the races.
This blessing from the Auckland-based iwi is part of the Toyota Kiwi Cup Tour, which sees the America’s Cup taking a roadie across Aotearoa, now in its third week.
Toyota New Zealand assistant vice-president Susanne Hardy called the tour a huge success.
“The success of the tour has been fantastic. Having the Taihoro blessed by Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei prior to it making its way to Barcelona is an important part of the journey.”
Royal NZ Yacht Squadron general manager Sarah Wiblin said the support shown by the communities across the motu was motivating the team.
“The schools, yacht clubs and communities waiting at Toyota stores have shown just how many people have a special connection to ETNZ.
“The messages of support left on the sail of support, to the handwritten notes posted to the team is pushing them forward to just send it come race day.”
The tour ends this week with Northland, Warkworth, and Auckland City left for the cup to visit; it concludes Thursday at Grey Lynn Toyota.
The 37th America’s Cup, a competition now in its 173rd year, gets underway in Spain’s Barcelona in mid-October.